Sand plunger

ABSTRACT

An improved plunger mechanism apparatus to increase well flow production levels in sand based wells. Efficiency of well flow is increased by the addition of radial peripheral holes extending from a hallowed out center core to outer peripheral grooves enabling a self-cleaning action which will prevent sand from accumulating on the outer surface of the plunger, allow the plunger to force fall back to the well bottom, and carry sand out of the well bottom. The self-cleaning sand plunger keeps the well clean, removes unwanted sand, self cleans and significantly reduces maintenance time in a sand based gas well.

CROSS REFERENCE APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional application claiming the benefits of provisional application No. 60/562,634 filed Apr. 15, 2004.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved plunger lift apparatus for the lifting of formation liquids in a hydrocarbon well. More specifically the improved plunger consists of a self-cleaning plunger apparatus that operates to increase the well efficiency in a sand-bottomed well.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A plunger lift is an apparatus that is used to increase the productivity of oil and gas wells. In the early stages of a well's life, liquid loading is usually not a problem. When rates are high, the well liquids are carried out of the well tubing by the high velocity gas. As the well declines, a critical velocity is reached below which the heavier liquids do not make it to the surface and start to fall back to the bottom exerting back pressure on the formation, thus loading up the well. A basic plunger system is a method of unloading gas in high ratio oil wells without interrupting production. In operation, the plunger travels to the bottom of the well where the loading fluid is picked up by the plunger and is brought to the surface removing all liquids in the tubing. The plunger also keeps the tubing free of paraffin, salt or scale build-up. A plunger lift system works by cycling a well open and closed. During the open time a plunger interfaces between a liquid slug and gas. The gas below the plunger will push the plunger and liquid to the surface. This removal of the liquid from the tubing bore allows an additional volume of gas to flow from a producing well. A plunger lift requires sufficient gas presence within the well to be functional in driving the system. Oil wells making no gas are thus not plunger lift candidates.

As the flow rate and pressures decline in a well, lifting efficiency declines geometrically. Before long the well begins to “load up”. This is a condition whereby the gas being produced by the formation can no longer carry the liquid being produced to the surface. There are two reasons this occurs. First, as liquid comes in contact with the wall of the production string of tubing, friction occurs. The velocity of the liquid is slowed, and some of the liquid adheres to the tubing wall, creating a film of liquid on the tubing wall. This liquid does not reach the surface. Secondly, as the flow velocity continues to slow, the gas phase can no longer support liquid in either slug form or droplet form. This liquid along with the liquid film on the sides of the tubing begin to fall back to the bottom of the well. In a very aggravated situation there will be liquid in the bottom of the well with only a small amount of gas being produced at the surface. The produced gas must bubble through the liquid at the bottom of the well and then flow to the surface. Because of the low velocity very little liquid, if any, is carried to the surface by the gas. Thus, as explained previously, a plunger lift will act to remove the accumulated liquid.

A typical installation plunger lift system 100 can be seen in FIG. 1. Lubricator assembly 10 is one of the most important components of plunger system 100. Lubricator assembly 10 includes cap 1, integral top bumper spring 2, striking pad 3, and extracting rod 4. Extracting rod 4 may or may not be employed depending on the plunger type. Contained within lubricator 10 is plunger auto catching device 5 and plunger sensing device 6. Sensing device 6 sends a signal to surface controller 15 upon plunger 200 arrival at the well top. Plunger 200 can represent the plunger of the present invention or other prior art plungers. Sensing the plunger is used as a programming input to achieve the desired well production, flow times and wellhead operating pressures. Master valve 7 should be sized correctly for the tubing 9 and plunger 200. An incorrectly sized master valve 7 will not allow plunger 200 to pass through. Master valve 7 should incorporate a full bore opening equal to the tubing 9 size. An oversized valve will allow gas to bypass the plunger causing it to stall in the valve. If the plunger is to be used in a well with relatively high formation pressures, care must be taken to balance tubing 9 size with the casing 8 size. The bottom of a well is typically equipped with a seating nipple/tubing stop 12. Spring standing valve/bottom hole bumper assembly 11 is located near the tubing bottom. The bumper spring is located above the standing valve and can be manufactured as an integral part of the standing valve or as a separate component of the plunger system. If present, fluid 17 would accumulate on top of plunger 200 to be carried to the well top by plunger 200.

Surface control equipment usually consists of motor valve(s) 14, sensors 6, pressure recorders 16, etc., and an electronic controller 15 which opens and closes the well at the surface. Well flow ‘F’ proceeds downstream when surface controller 15 opens well head flow valves. Controllers operate on time, or pressure, to open or close the surface valves based on operator-determined requirements for production. Modern electronic controllers incorporate features that are user friendly, easy to program, addressing the shortcomings of mechanical controllers and early electronic controllers. Additional features include: battery life extension through solar panel recharging, computer memory program retention in the event of battery failure and built-in lightning protection. For complex operating conditions, controllers can be purchased that have multiple valve capability to fully automate the production process.

Modern plungers are designed with various sidewall geometries and can be generally described as follows:

-   -   A. Shifting ring plungers for continuous contact against the         tubing to produce an effective seal with wiping action to ensure         that all scale, salt or paraffin is removed from the tubing         wall. Some designs have by-pass valves to permit fluid to flow         through during the return trip to the bumper spring with the         by-pass shutting when the plunger reaches the bottom. The         by-pass feature optimizes plunger travel time in high liquid         wells.     -   B. Pad plungers have spring-loaded interlocking pads in one or         more sections. The pads expand and contract to compensate for         any irregularities in the tubing, thus creating a tight friction         seal. Pad plungers can also have a by-pass valve as described         above.     -   C. Brush plungers incorporate a spiral-wound, flexible nylon         brush section to create a seal and allow the plunger to travel         despite the presence of sand, coal fines, tubing irregularities,         etc. By-pass valves may also be incorporated.     -   D. Solid plungers have solid sidewall rings for durability.         Solid sidewall rings can be made of various materials such as         steel, poly materials, Teflon®, stainless steel, etc. Once         again, by-pass valves can be incorporated.     -   E. Snake plungers are flexible for coiled tubing and directional         holes, and can be used as well in straight standard tubing.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the various sidewall geometries existing in the prior art. All geometries described have an internal orifice, and all can be found in present industrial offerings. These sidewall geometries are described as follows:

-   -   A. As previously discussed solid ring 22 sidewall geometry is         shown in solid plunger 20. Solid sidewall rings 22 can be made         of various materials such as steel, poly materials, Teflon®,         stainless steel, etc. Inner cut groves 30 allow sidewall debris         to accumulate when a plunger is rising or falling.     -   B. Shifting ring plunger 80 is shown with shifting ring 81         sidewall geometry. Shifting rings 81 sidewall geometry allow for         continuous contact against the tubing to produce an effective         seal with wiping action to ensure that all scale, salt or         paraffin is removed from the tubing wall. Shifting rings 81 are         all individually separated at each upper surface and lower         surface by air gap 82.     -   C. Pad plunger 60 has spring-loaded interlocking pads 61 in one         or more sections. Interlocking pads 61 expand and contract to         compensate for any irregularities in the tubing, thus creating a         tight friction seal.     -   D. Brush plunger 70 incorporates a spiral-wound, flexible nylon         brush 71 surface to create a seal and allow the plunger to         travel despite the presence of sand, coal fines, tubing         irregularities, etc.

Recent practices toward slim-hole wells that utilize coiled tubing also lend themselves to plunger systems. Because of the small tubing diameters, a relatively small amount of liquid may cause a well to load-up, or a relatively small amount of paraffin may plug the tubing.

Plungers use the volume of gas stored in the casing and the formation during the shut-in time to push the liquid load and plunger to the surface. This plunger lift occurs when the motor valve opens the well to the sales line or to the atmosphere. To operate a plunger installation, only the pressure and gas volume in the tubing/casing annulus is usually considered as the source of energy for bringing the liquid load and plunger to the surface. The major forces acting on the cross-sectional area of the bottom of the plunger are:

-   -   The pressure of the gas in the casing pushes up on the liquid         load and the plunger.     -   The sales line operating pressure and atmospheric pressure push         down on the plunger.     -   The weight of the liquid and the plunger weight itself pushes         down on the plunger.     -   Once the plunger begins moving to the surface, friction between         the tubing and the liquid load acts to oppose the plunger.     -   In addition, friction between the gas and tubing acts to slow         the expansion of the gas.

In certain wells, the well bottom consists of a sand content. FIG. 1A (prior art) is a blow up schematic of a well bottom section 600 (ref. FIG. 1) showing accumulated water 17 and sand 13 trapped within inner cut grooves 30. Sand 13 tends to cake up within the inner cut grooves 30 and on the sidewall rings 22 of the plunger. Shifting ring, pad or brush plungers also tend to cake with sand, which will damper the plunger operation. Solid pad plungers tend to get sand between each sidewall ring 22. When plungers are caked with sand, they tend to get caught within the aforementioned lubricator and will require manual intervention (maintenance). Thus, the major disadvantage of prior art plunger lifts in a sandy well is that the plunger will cake with sand and fail to fall, or fall too slowly, to the bottom of the well, thus decreasing well efficiency and/or requiring continued maintenance. Plunger drop travel time slows or limits well production. Also, fishing a plunger out of a well is a problem and sometimes requires pulling the complete tubing string. Well production increases are always critical.

What is needed is a plunger lift apparatus that can function in a sand-bottom well, one that can self-clean to insure continuous efficiency during lift, drop back to the well bottom quickly and easily, and assist in increasing well production by increasing lift cycle times. What is also needed is a self-cleaning plunger system for sandy wells while being retrievable from the well. The apparatus of the present invention provides a solution to these aforementioned issues.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main aspect of the present invention is to provide a self-cleaning plunger apparatus that will increase well production levels in a sand-bottom well.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a plunger apparatus that will lift sand away from a well bottom during the plunger lift from the well, self clean itself at the well top, avoid getting caught (or stuck) at the well top, and allow any accumulated sand to be blown away from its sides and taken downstream for further separation and cleanout.

Another aspect of the present invention is to allow the plunger to self-clean at the top of the lift in order that it could efficiently force fall inside the tubing to the well-hole bottom with increased speed without impeding well production.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a self-cleaning plunger that will keep the well clean.

Another aspect of the present invention is to allow for various plunger sidewall geometries to be utilized.

Other aspects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

The present invention comprises a plunger lift consisting of solid sidewall geometries, a solid top (typically a fishing neck design), and containing a hollowed out central region along with peripheral holes extending from its hollowed central core to its outer annular groves. The self-cleaning sand plunger (SCSP), the present invention, functions to carry sand, other solids and fluids from the bottom of the well to the surface. Once at the well top the SCSP is auto-caught. It will be held in the plunger auto catcher located within the lubricator. While held in the auto catcher, well pressure will force gas up through its hollowed out central core and out through the peripheral holes, functioning to clean out any sand that is caught in the outer annular grooves, thus creating a self-cleaning function. The well control system will release it to fall back into the well when conditions are satisfied. Sand that is cleaned from the annular grooves is subsequently carried downstream by the well pressure flow and into a separating station.

The SCSP will be dropped back into the well when well conditions are met with all liquid loading factors. The SCSP will thus be cleaned prior to its return to the well bottom. This self cleaning allows an efficient force fall back to the well bottom and avoids maintenance that may have been caused by it getting caught in the lubricator due to accumulated sand.

The present invention assures an efficient lift due to its design. The present invention also optimizes well efficiency due to the fact that it is self-cleaning to allow it to quickly travel to the well bottom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (prior art) is an overview depiction of a typical plunger lift system installation.

FIG. 1A (prior art) is a blow up drawing of a well bottom having accumulated sand.

FIG. 2 (prior art) is a side plan view of the various standard sidewall geometries.

FIG. 3 is a side plan view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the sand plunger with solid sidewall geometry.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the sand plunger with solid sidewall geometry.

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of a sand plunger having a by-symmetrical sidewall design, an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

Before explaining the disclosed embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown, since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, the present invention provides a self-cleaning ‘sand’ plunger (SCSP) apparatus, see FIGS. 3,4 item 300 that will increase well production levels for sand bottom based gas wells. SCSP 300 is a self-cleaning plunger apparatus to lift sand away from a well bottom during the plunger lift from the well, self-clean itself at the well top while contained within the aforementioned auto-catcher, and allow the accumulated sand to be blown out and taken downstream for further separation and cleanout prior to falling back to the well bottom, thus keeping the well clean and avoiding getting itself stuck within the well. When conditions are met, SCSP 300 is released from the auto-catcher within the lubricator (ref. FIG. 1) and efficiently force-falls down into the well tubing to the well bottom allowing an optimization of well production.

SCSP 300 can be employed with various solid plunger sidewall geometries. FIGS. 3,4 show peripheral radial clean out holes 32 extending from its central hollowed out inner core 35 to its outer radial grooves 30. Gas, under well pressure, enters its bottom entry 34, passes up through center hollowed out inner core 35, and exits out through peripheral radial clean out holes 32 while SPSP 300 is held in the aforementioned auto-catcher. This action blows any sand that is imbedded (trapped or caked) within the outer radial grooves 30 to be moved away from SCSP 300. Sand will be then swept downstream by the well pressure in direction F (ref. FIG. 1) to a separator where it is subsequently separated from liquids and gas. In this manner, not only is sand removed from the well bottom, but SCSP 300 is also cleaned for efficient and continued drops back to the well bottom, thus improving well efficiency. Sandy bottom wells typically would have sand accumulated to the outside of prior art plungers (ref. FIG. 1A), which would impede the plunger drop to the well bottom and/or get stuck within the auto-catcher (within the lubricator) requiring manual intervention or maintenance, thus raising cost and lessening well production.

SCSP 300 of the present invention basically is employed with following discrete steps:

-   -   1. SCSP 300 drops to the bottom of a well with liquid loading on         top of the plunger and sand accumulating on the outer plunger         surfaces, typically within the annular outer radial grooves 30.     -   2. The well is open for flow at which time SCSP 300 rises         towards the well top to carry liquids and accumulated sand out         of the well bore.     -   3. SPSC 300 is caught within the lubricator at the well top by         the plunger auto-catcher device (ref. FIG. 1) Note: the         extracting rod shown in FIG. 1 would not be used with the SCSP         as it has a solid top (typically a fishing neck).     -   4. The well flows for a set time or condition controlled by the         well-head controller, at which time self-cleaning action begins.     -   5. While SCSP 300 is held by the auto-catcher, well pressure         forces gas into its bottom entry 34, through it's hollowed out         inner core 35, and out of its peripheral radial holes 32. Gas         pressure coming out of radial holes 32 creates a ‘venturi tube         like’ effect functioning to blow sand out of the outer radial         grooves 30.     -   6. Sand is carried downstream in direction F (ref. FIG. 1) by         the well pressure to a separator.     -   7. The auto-catcher releases SCSP 300 after a set time or         condition as controlled by the well system controller.     -   8. SCSP 300 force-falls to the well bottom with the accumulated         sand removed, thus the fall is much more efficient.     -   9. The well plunger lift cycle starts again.

The geometry of SCSP 300 acts as a sealed device during lift and functions to carry sand and fluids to the well surface. The auto-catcher at the well top holds SCSP 300 in place while well pressure passes gas through its center hollow core 35 and out its peripheral radial holes 32. The gas flow out the holes creates a ‘venturi tube’ type effect and passes gas onto the outer grooves pushing the accumulated sand out and away from the grooves. Well pressure will force the sand to exit the well downstream where it will be caught in a separator for further processing. Prior art design plungers would get sand accumulated within the outer grooves (ref. FIG. 1A), which would not only affect the efficiency of the plunger fall, thus effecting the well productivity, but could also require manual intervention to retrieve a plunger that is stuck within the well or within the lubricator. The accumulated square inch cross-sectional area of the combined holes 32 as compared to the square inch cross-sectional area of the bottom centered out hollow core 35 is critical. If the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the combined holes 32 CA exceeds a critical point, it will cause lift failure and/or not self-clean. In one experiment a sixteen inch long sand plunger had a one inch bottom hole. One hundred twenty holes were made at one eighth inch diameter each. A particular liquid load could not be lifted that day.

SCSP 300 is geometrically designed to have a fluid/gas dynamic type shape to allow it to quickly pass to the well bottom. SCSP 300 will return to the bottom with an efficient speed until it comes to rest on the bottom sitting or on a bumper spring.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention employs a solid ribbed sidewall plunger construction as shown in FIGS. 3,4 with a standard American Petroleum Institute (API) fishing neck 31 top, a hollow core 35 extending from its bottom entry 34 to at least the top of its outer ringed surface, multiple radial peripheral radial holes 32, which are at a 90° angle to its length and extending from hollow core 35 to each peripheral groove 30, and having an outside ribbed geometry. Other embodiments of the present invention can employ various amounts of peripheral radial holes, holes at various angles, locations and/or various outer surface geometries. Typical solid outside geometries include, but are not limited to, a hollow steel symmetrical shaped bullet plunger, Teflon® or poly sleeves, solid steel with under-cut grooves, solid steel with top cut grooves to hold fluid and bottom cut grooves to trap gas.

SCSP 300 is designed with a hollow inner core 35 to allow gas to enter its core and then exit out its peripheral radial holes 32 to clean all of the outer grooves 30. SCSP 300 can be designed with any of the standard aforementioned solid sidewall geometries with cleanout holes to allow it to quickly travel to the well bottom once it is released by the auto-catcher at the surface. SCSP 300 will carry unwanted sand buildup out of the well during lift, self clean once it reaches the top and prior to dropping back to the bottom. Sand cleaned away from SCSP 300 will be carried out of the well to a downstream separator.

The present invention assures removal of sand from the well, self-cleaning of any caked sand around the outer peripheral annular plunger grooves, movement of sand downstream to a separator, significantly less well maintenance, and a continuous well cleaning action.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing SCSP 300 having solid ring sidewall geometry. Solid sidewall rings 22 are undercut to trap gas having a downward slant top surface 23. The solid ring geometry can be made of various materials such as steel, poly materials, Teflon®, stainless steel, etc. Inner cut grooves 30 allow any sidewall debris to accumulate when a plunger is rising or falling. Peripheral radial holes 32 extend radially from the hollowed out inner core 35 (ref. FIG. 4) to inner cut grooves 30. Bottom entrance 34 is the open end of hollowed out center core 35 (ref. FIG. 4). Standard American Petroleum Institute (API) fishing neck 3 at the top end of the sand plunger is a well known design in the art and allows retrieval of SCSP 300 from the well if necessary.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing sand plunger 300 with solid sidewall geometry. Peripheral radial holes 32 extend radially from the hollowed out inner core 35 to each of the inner cut grooves 30, which are located between solid sidewall rings 22 with downward slant surface 23. Peripheral radial holes 32 are shown around the inner cut grooves 30 with a 90° spacing about the annular periphery. Inner cut grooves 30 allow sidewall debris to accumulate therein when SCSP 300 is at the well bottom and will contain any debris while SCSP 300 is rising or falling. Hollowed out center core 35 extends from bottom entrance 34 upward and past the last inner cut groove. When well pressure lifts SCSP 300 to the well top to be caught in the aforementioned auto-catcher, well pressure will force gas into bottom entrance 34, up through center core 35 and out of each peripheral radial hole 32, thus allowing the self-cleaning ‘venturi-like’ action to remove sand and any other accumulated debris from inner cut grooves 30. Well pressure will then carry sand and other debris downstream to a separator for further processing.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a sand plunger having a by-symmetrical design, an alternate embodiment of the present invention. The upper half of by-symmetrical SCSP 301 contains solid outer rings 22 with downward slant top surface 23, while the bottom half of by-symmetrical SCSP 301 contains solid outer rings 22A with an upward slant surface 24. Mid outer ring 25 splits the upper from the bottom half symmetry. The upper half design shape acts to trap gas whereas the lower half acts to scrape the well sidewalls upon plunger lift. Gas enters hollowed out core 35A through bottom entrance 34 and exits out radial holes 32A at the upper half and also exits out of radial holes 33A at the lower half, enabling the self-cleaning action once SCSP 301 is at the well top and within the aforementioned auto-catcher. It should be noted that this alternate embodiment is depicted with radial holes 32A at about an upward 45° angle to the radial axis versus a 90° angle as previously shown in FIGS. 3,4. Radial holes 33A are shown at a downward 45° angle to the radial axis. It should also be noted that radial holes 32A, 33A could be manufactured at various angles, including the radial angle shown in FIGS. 3,4, and still provide a self-cleaning action.

It should also be noted that other alternate embodiments of the present invention could be easily employed by one skilled in the art to accomplish the self-cleaning aspect of the present invention. Alternate embodiments could employ various sidewall geometries, various numbers of radial peripheral holes, various locations of the holes within the outer grooves, and various angles extending from the inner core to the inner cut grooves and still accomplish the self-cleaning aspect of the present invention.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be made and still the result will come within the scope of the invention. No limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred. 

1. A downhole plunger comprising: a longitudinal body having a top end, a hollowed out central portion, and a bottom end; said bottom end having a hole in fluid communication with the hollowed out central portion; and a plurality of exit holes extending from the hollowed out central portion to a peripheral surface of the longitudinal body.
 2. The plunger of claim 1, wherein the peripheral surface further comprises a plurality of sidewall rings and grooves, wherein the exit holes are located in the grooves.
 3. The plunger of claim 1, wherein the top end further comprises a fish neck design.
 4. The plunger of claim 1, wherein the exit holes extend at about a 90° angle from the hollowed out central portion to the peripheral surface.
 5. The plunger of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal body further comprises a piece body.
 6. A downhole plunger comprising: a cylindrical body means functioning to fall down a well tubing and lift liquids up from a well bottom; said cylindrical body means having a hollow core means in fluid communication with a bottom hole means functioning to permit fluids to pass from the bottom hole means into the hollow core means; and said hollow core means further comprising a plurality of radial clean out holes extending to a peripheral surface of the cylindrical body means.
 7. The plunger of claim 6, wherein the peripheral surface further comprises a plurality of sidewall rings and grooves, wherein the holes extend to the grooves.
 8. The plunger of claim 6, wherein the cylindrical body means further comprises a fish neck top end.
 9. The plunger of claim 6, wherein the radial clean out holes extend at about a 90° angle from the hollow core.
 10. A downhole plunger comprising: a cylindrical body with a by-symmetrical peripheral geometry having an upper portion with a plurality of downward slant top ledges each transitioning into an outer ring, and having a lower portion with a plurality of upward slant ledges each transitioning into an outer ring; a plurality of circular grooves in the upper portion and in the lower portion; said cylindrical body having a hollow core in fluid communication with a hole in a bottom of the cylindrical body; and a plurality of radial clean out holes extending from the hollow core to the upper circular grooves and from the hollow core to the lower circular grooves.
 11. The plunger of claim 10, wherein the upper radial clean out holes extend downward, and wherein the lower radial clean out holes extend upward.
 12. The plunger of claim 10, wherein the cylindrical body further comprises a fish neck top.
 13. A method to clean out debris from a downhole plunger, the method comprising the steps of: dropping a self cleaning plunger down a well tubing; allowing the plunger to rise carrying liquids and accumulated debris out of a well bore; catching the plunger at a top end of the well tubing; allowing downholes gas to enter a hole in the plunger; and allowing the gas to exit a plurality of radial clean out holes extending from a hollow plunger core, thereby carrying the debris downstream. 